Comments on: Resources for a dairy-free lifestyle

By: Dr. Timothy Lawler

Dr. Timothy Lawler — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:00:28 +0000

Great article and great posts by all! You are all hitting everything dead on. There are tons of great sources of calcium from things other than dairy, and I always tell my patients to take a multivitamin as well. Keep up the great posts!

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:26:55 +0000

I totally agree with what Cathy said! I’m trying to transition to being primarily vegan because of the health concerns brought on by the foods we consume.

I highly recommend reading Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat for Health Books. It has some great information on obtaining nutrients when changing your diet, and also has some recipes that help you transition. I have also heard that his book Eat to Live is even better when it comes to grocery lists and determining which foods to put into your meal plans- however I haven’t read this one yet so I can’t vouch for any of it. Check your local library- they probably have at least on of these.

A great way to get in extra greens (loaded with calcium that is absorbed so much better than dairy sources) is to make a fruit and veggie smoothie. Try it before judging! Buy a bag of frozen berries and some fresh greens (spinach, collard greens, etc.) put them in the blender with some water or a small amount of juice- to get the blending started (pomegranite has a strong masking taste and lots of nutrients) . I recommend about 2-3 servings of fruit per veggie serving. Also, if you use fresh fruit and veggies add ice. I make a double batch at night and have half as a dessert and half in the morning for breakfast. If you think the greens taste too strong add more juice or fruit until you like it.

By: M

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:39:13 +0000

I hope your theory/hunch is right about a dairy intolerance. But remember it is a just a theory so don’t let the experiment overwhelm you.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:02:39 +0000

Have you considered a probiotic?

By: Link love (Powered by cabin fever and phone tag) « Musings of an Abstract Aucklander

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 23:32:00 +0000

[…] Well on Less shares some resources on going dairy-free. (I’m into my third cereal-free, and thus, milk-free week! Hummus on toast is the ultimate […]

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:23:39 +0000

I have been dairy free for seven years. I know cheese is hard to give up! But, there are tons of veggies that provide good calcium and actually absorb better in your body. Also, bone broth is good. (make sure you are using some vinegar in the broth) I am not a fan of soy and avoid it, but have found coconut milk works as a great substitute in recipes. Check out http://www.westonaprice.org/home-mainmenu-1.html for more information on bone broth and coconut milk. My naturopath originally had me eat a lot of almonds for calcium also. I think the dairy companies have misinformed us that dairy is the only place we can obtain calcium. So sad when there are so many other options available to us that also provide other benefits.

I know my SIL had great benefits of relieving her infant’s eczema with a dairy and gluten free diet. Just a thought. Congratulations to you for taking this important step in helping your baby.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:56:14 +0000

FYI – While you might have to venture out from the mocha to another kind of latte (not sure whether there is actual dairy in the chocolate components of a mocha, but I’m sure you could find out), though I am not a big fan of soy, I found that Starbucks soy lattes are not bad at all. Between the strong flavors of the espresso and the flavoring syrup, the soy milk doesn’t stand out too much, even when you’re drinking decaf. (I drank one soy decaf latte a week during the last months of both my pregnancies – when I had to cut out milk)

By: Corinne

Corinne — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:10:47 +0000

On the calcium front, you might not need as much as you think. There are so many factors that affect the balance of calcium in the body – cultures that don’t eat dairy generally don’t have problems with osteoporosis. Most junk foods tend to leech calcium out of the body (esp sodas) so if your diet is mostly whole foods your calcium intake requirements go down. The problem is that it’s almost impossible to calculate what that number is!